BASKETBALL

BASKETBALL; Knicks File Tampering Charges Over Riley

By VINCENT M. MALLOZZI

Published: June 30, 1995

Calling it "the most blatant example of tampering I have seen in 12 years in the N.B.A.," Dave Checketts said yesterday that the Knicks had filed tampering charges against the Miami Heat, which has been courting the recently departed Pat Riley for its vacant head-coaching job.

"We have formally filed tampering charges with Commissioner David Stern today against the Miami Heat organization," said Checketts, the president of Madison Square Garden. "We believe that they have tortiously interfered with our contractual relationship with Pat Riley."

Riley resigned on June 15 with one year remaining on a five-year contract, citing "serious differences and questions about authority and final decision making." Soon afterward, Miami's executive vice president, Dave Wohl, acknowledged that Riley was the No. 1 choice to fill the job that had been occupied on an interim basis by Alvin Gentry.

The Heat's wooing of Riley intensified Wednesday when the team's owner, Mickey Arison, said in a radio interview: "We will go to great lengths to get Pat here if given the opportunity to negotiate with him. I think we could put a package together that he would be happy with. But first he has to negotiate with the Knicks."

Checketts has grown increasingly angry with Miami's open pursuit of Riley. He said the Knicks had alerted all N.B.A. teams that anyone interested in Riley must first ask for the Knicks' permission, and that Miami had not done so.

"Officials of the Heat have been quoted publicly on several occasions during the past two weeks about their interest in Riley," Checketts said. "Today's reports quote Heat owners as saying the Heat has prepared a significant package for Riley in excess of $20 million. These reports also alluded to the Heat making Riley aware of the magnitude of the offer."

Checketts was referring to a report yesterday in The Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, which quoted an unnamed source as saying that the Heat had offered Riley a $20 million package.

Though he refused to attack Riley personally, Checketts said yesterday that Miami's alleged tampering "shows a complete disregard for the Knicks, the N.B.A. and its members," and that "whether there were behind the scenes discussions or not, the Heat's public statements, on their own, constitute tampering. If the Heat are confused about our position, we'll be happy to forward to them a copy of the constitution and bylaws of the N.B.A."

Adding to the Knicks' vexation is their suspicion that the Heat has had its eye on Riley since mid-February, when it dismissed Kevin Loughery and named Gentry the interim coach. Arison said at the time that a coach "like Pat Riley" was the type of coach Miami was looking for.

Arison has not said whether the offer to Riley would include some type of ownership, something Riley has said he wanted. There was no answer last night at the Heat's offices, but in today's editions of The Palm Beach Post, Wohl said: "I feel very comfortable we haven't tampered. But because I haven't seen the statement or had a chance to sit with our attorneys, I won't have any further comment."

Riley, who returned this week from a vacation in Greece, turned down a contract extension from the Knicks reportedly worth $15 million over five years. Checketts said earlier this week that he expected Riley to challenge the last year of his contract in a lawsuit so he can be free to go to another franchise for the coming season. There was some belief he would contend that changes within the Garden's corporate structure have altered the conditions under which he initially agreed to work.

Underneath the uproar over Riley's status and availability is the give-and-take between the teams over compensation to the Knicks should Riley sign somewhere else. The Knicks might be willing to let Riley out of his final year in return for a player or draft pick or both. The Heat would want to give up nothing, or as little as possible.

But the Heat has two No. 1 picks next season, and on Wednesday acquired guard Rex Chapman from the Washington Bullets. The Knicks could seek one of the picks, or Chapman, or both.

Arison reportedly has said the Heat would do what it has to do to get Riley, perhaps a concession that the Heat would have to compensate the Knicks. When Wohl originally expressed interest in Riley, he said the Heat would not give up a first-round pick as compensation.